Over the past years, the production cost of tobacco has steadily increased due to the increases in the cost of fertilizer, fuel, farm equipment and machinery, labor and other materials and services required by the tobacco farmer. With the increased production cost of tobacco, the price paid the tobacco farmer for the produced tobacco has also increased and in the flue-cured region of the United States, tobacco prices at auction now reach as high as $1.10 a pound, and are expected to go even higher. Tobacco produced by farmers usually undergoes further grading, processing, and treatment by the manufacturers at facilities known as redrying plants. This treatment, grading and processing of tobacco by the cigarette manufacturers adds still additional cost to each pound of usable tobacco material that forms a part of a cigarette, cigar or other tobacco product.
The total cost of natural tobacco material including processing cost by the manufacturer, has prompted several of the large cigarette makers to seek or consider a tobacco substitute material that may be mixed or blended with natural tobacco material in small percentages to yield a less expensive tobacco product. Although aroma, flavor and taste may be difficult to duplicate with a tobacco substitute, the present invention addresses itself to a tobacco harvester and method of harvesting tobacco that has the capability to reduce the production cost of natural tobacco material, even to the point of being competitive with the expected cost of such substitutes while still being a natural tobacco product with true tobacco aroma, flavor and taste.